


Only The Heart Knows

by Fearlesskiki



Category: Football RPF, Real Person Fiction
Genre: Borussia Dortmund, FC Bayern München, Friendship, Gen, Unpopular Opinion
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-05-11
Updated: 2016-05-11
Packaged: 2018-06-05 16:14:13
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,569
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6712114
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Fearlesskiki/pseuds/Fearlesskiki
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Benedikt tries to find out the truth about the Mats Hummels transfer drama.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Only The Heart Knows

**Author's Note:**

> 24/7/2017 - The day I met Mats Hummels and presented this fic to him :)

"That's not true, right?"

 

That is the same question Benedikt asked Mats eight years ago when the scruffy hair footballer decides to play for Borussia Dortmund. Now it is the same situation but the stance has changed. Mats is changing teams again. But now he is possibly going to play for Bayern once again. It sounds absurd at first, but now that Mats is not denying it, it seems to be real. Benedikt would not take it seriously if it was just from the tabloids. Right now the Borussia Dortmund representatives have issued a statement saying that Mats is asking them to let him go to Bayern at the end of the season. And Mats' father also has hinted that Bayern is a possible move. These legit sources let him to believe that the story is true. However, Benedikt just has to ask Mats the question because he wants to know the truth from the man himself.

 

He could see a frown face on the Dortmund captain, eyes facing the beer bottle and avoiding eye contact with him. Mats looks like a man with many troubles. The scruffy hair man makes a long sigh.

 

"Not exactly. But there is some truth to it."

 

That is Mats' answer. Benedikt's eyebrow creases as he looks at his buddy. Mats is making him more confused. What does that mean?

 

"I didn't offer myself to Bayern. They were the ones that approached me." The Dortmund captain replies.

 

Either way, it does not make the situation any better. Benedikt is hoping for Mats to say that all these rumours are just bullshit from the media. Leaving Dortmund? That sounds impossible. And the most controversial part is, of all the top teams in the world, he is going to Bayern? Why the rival team? Benedikt is as confused as the rest of the world, wondering why Mats would go back to the place he hated for the past eight and a half years. Benedikt never dreamt that Mats will leave Dortmund, a team that made the latter a Bundesliga Champion, DFB Pokal Champion, and a captain. Dortmund loves Mats immensely for the past few years, so much that they made him captain. Yes, Dortmund has had its ups and downs especially the last season where they almost get regulated but now the yellow and black is back in a good position. They are at the 2nd place in Bundesliga, final in DFB Pokal and also qualified for the next Champions League. Mats has a fairly comfortable place in starting lineup. He is their captain. Are not those things enough for him to stay? What is it for him to throw everything he has on the current team to Bayern? To an unknown future? And go back to the team that dismissed his father? That team that did not view him as an important asset? Mats himself has expressed many times in public about his dismay of his childhood team, throwing daggers at them at every opportunity. He has told the media that Bayern does not mean anything to him anymore and he is 100% Borusse. Mats himself has said he does not need to play for the best team in the world just to win titles, that he preferred to win Champion League once with Dortmund than winning it six times with another club. The Dortmund captain even criticised young Mario when the midfielder decided to join Bavarian team. But now he is following the midfielder's footsteps. What an irony. 

 

The two remain silent for a long time, just sipping beers they are holding until Mats starts to talk again.

 

"It's true. I want to get back. I never thought about it as an option in the past but now it is." He says. "It's not going to be an easy decision. In fact, it's probably going to be the hardest decision that I have to make. I've been thinking about it every night for the past few weeks. All the pros and cons. You know, I think that when you're young, you would have a different perspective. Like when I was 23, I would think that I have a lot of opportunities to win. But now I'm 27 going on 28. Things are different now."

 

"Huh. Are titles that important to you? You can win them in Dortmund too, you know." Benedikt responses.

 

"It's not just about that. Bayern is my childhood club."

 

Benedikt froze when he hears that. Mats does have a point. Munich is Mats' real home. Everything has become to make sense after that statement. He could understand that the home is where the heart is. That is the very reason that Benedikt has choose to stay in Schalke. But his situation is slightly different from the Dortmund captain because Schalke has and always been his only club. It is his childhood club and he had the chances to play more than Mats. Benedikt has never thought of going elsewhere even though there are offers from bigger clubs. It is an easier decision for him compared to Mats'. Contray to his situation, it is only because the lack of play time Mats decided to switch team in the past. But still, Mats has lived in Dortmund for the past 8 years. Isn't Dortmund his home now?

 

"But what about the people in Dortmund? Don't they mean anything to you?" The Schalke captain asks.

 

"I know. I know. That's why I'm torn between the two clubs now. In the past 8 years, Dortmund has become my home too. The fans are just incredible. My teammates, Marcel, Marco, Neven, Sven, Henrikh, Adrián, Nuri... all of them are like my family. They are the best buddies that a guy could ever have. The coaches, the team behind the team, every single one of them is fantastic. Sometimes I feel like I don't deserve them." Mats replies.

 

_Well, guess what? You don't._

 

Benedikt knows that he would never treat the Royal Blues this way. He could never leave them for a rival team even if they pay a fortune to him. The Schalke captain could imagine the reaction of the yellow wall when Mats plays in Signal Iduna Park tomorrow. Knowing that football fans are passionate people, the crowd will definitely boo, whistle and throw harsh words to their captain. Benedikt could understand their frustration. He also had the same frustration when Manuel decided to move to Bayern. He knows it is not going to be an easy day for the Dortmund captain. This move from Mats is possibly the ultimate betrayal to the fans and Mats Hummels might be the only one that agrees with this transfer.

 

"I know I sound like a hypocrite right now. But I want to say that no matter how angry I am, Bayern is still my childhood club and it's a fact that no one can change. I was born and raise there. My family and friends live there." Mats says.

 

Benedikt's eyes turn wide. That is true. Blood is thicker than water. Mats' family and wife are indeed from Munich. And no matter how good the outside world is, sooner or later we will go back to our homes. No matter how we hate our parents, there is a special bond between the parent and child. There is no way to delete this relationship from our memory no matter how hard we try. No matter how Mats hates Bayern, Munich is and will always be his home. Benedikt also understands the bitterness and struggles Mats has gone through from the strain relationship with his hometown club. Mats' father was dismissed from the club. Mats himself did not have much chances to play for the 1st team as much as he had in Dortmund. He was a benchwarmer back then in Munich. But after he leaves for Dortmund, Bayern is doing better than his team. They played very well, so well that there were more Bayern players chosen for the National team. They got more silverwares than him. They crushed his team in the Champions League final. All these incidents created the bitterness in Mats and it is probably too hard for him to keep quiet about it. Benedikt could understand the jealousy the Dortmund captain felt with the Bayern players. And he could understand why Mats was angry when Mario left Dortmund. It is because Mats cares. It is because Bayern matters to Mats.

 

"And I want a new challenge before I retire. I know I can have a comfortable life in Dortmund but I want to prove that I can do it in Bayern too." 

 

When Mats makes that statement, suddenly all this makes perfect sense. There is an unfinished business in Munich. This might be the deciding factor of staying or leaving.

 

"But I haven't decided yet." The Dortmund captain continues.

 

Benedikt stands up from his seat and pats on Mats' shoulder as he has figured out what Mats' decision is. But he does not want to sway Mats to either way. It is not the proper way for him to do and Mats should be able to make his own decisions. He grips the Dortmund captain's hand and gives it a squeeze. He tries to give a smile and talks with a soft voice,

 

"No matter what your decision is, I'm sure you have your own view and I will support and respect it."

**Author's Note:**

> I wrote this few days ago but decided to publish it after everything is official. Writing it in Benni's perspective because it would bring an objective view. I'm not sure if anyone agrees with this but I just feel that this has to be written.
> 
> Believe me, I love the Dortmund boys and I am as hurt as you all when I heard the news. Mats is one of those people I believe in that loyalty is more than everything in the world (just like Philipp, Benedikt, and Thomas). But life is unpredictable, isn't it? I'm sad. I'm disappointed because BVB has always loved him. I don't agree his move to Bayern although I love Bayern. I understand the fans' frustration. But I don't blame people for switching teams. I don't throw hate messages when people do it. I myself have switch jobs before too and so I understand it's not always about the money and fame. Everyone has their own reasons. Sometimes it's something that only we ourselves can understand.
> 
> If you like it please give me a kudos. Share it with your friends. Please tell me anything in the comments and I will try my very best to improve :) Every kudos, comment, subscription and bookmark means the world to me. Thank you :D
> 
> Yeah, you can follow me on [Tumblr](http://fearlesskiki.tumblr.com/) and [join the FBD Book Club!](https://footballblogsdirectory.tumblr.com/post/160746377878/welcome-to-the-fbd-book-club-this-is-a-place-to)


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